Trans women banned from competing in the women’s category at the Olympics

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the world watched as biological men boxed against women, causing significant injuries to their opponents. Following an increasingly absurd situation in sports where men have a large biological advantage, the International Olympic Committee has now decided that trans women and athletes with DSD (conditions affecting sex development) will not be allowed to participate in the women’s category at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and future Games.

Last year, IOC chair Kirsty Coventry stated that she advocated for a general ban, and after winning the presidency in March, ordered a review evaluating the permanent physical advantages of being born male. This review provided scientific evidence showing that there are lasting physical advantages from being born male, even after testosterone levels have decreased.

In connection with the new decision, Coventry said that it is based on science showing it is not fair for biological men to compete in the women’s category.

– As a former athlete, I am passionate about every Olympian’s right to participate in fair competitions, she said.

The IOC has also decided that all athletes wishing to compete in the women’s category at future Olympics will have to undergo SRY gene screening to determine their biological sex.

– The policy we have announced is science-based and led by medical experts. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can make the difference between victory and defeat. So it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological men to compete in the women’s category. Furthermore, in certain sports, it simply would not be safe.

Olympic match 2024. Photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0

Major performance advantages

The document outlining the IOC’s new policy notes, among other things, that there is a 10–12 percent performance advantage for men in most running and swimming events, and a performance advantage of over 20 percent in most throwing and jumping events. In disciplines that involve explosive power, such as lifting and combat sports, the advantage can exceed 100 percent.

The IOC states that its new policy should be adopted by all international sports federations and governing bodies for IOC events, such as the Summer and Winter Olympics. It also clarifies that the policy applies only to elite sports.